


Smile Again

by LOTSlover



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 17:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3390323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LOTSlover/pseuds/LOTSlover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-Shot set sometime during Season Two of Justice League.  Batman tries to comfort a depressed Diana who misses her home.  BM/WW fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile Again

**Smile Again**

"Are you doing okay, Princess?"

"I'm fine," she absentmindedly reassured him. "Take as much time as you need."

"I should be done here in about fifteen more minutes," he informed her as he continued to weld, pausing to cast a sidelong glance at the powerful Amazon standing by his side.

He couldn't help admiring the sleek toned lines of her muscular frame that oozed femininity and sexuality, strength and nobility as she held up the large piece of metal on the Javelin for him to make some necessary repairs.

He had been steadily growing more and more worried about her over the last month or so, noticing how quiet and withdrawn she had become. Gone was the radiant smile that she readily offered to everyone and in its place was a slight upturn of her lips that was strained, never fully reaching her beautiful eyes. Even those sapphire orbs had suffered from whatever she had been struggling with in her heart and mind, the bright spark of life and energy vanishing, becoming dull and listless.

There was a deep pervading sadness about her that seemed to envelope her like a dark heavy cloak, wrapping her up and threatening to strangle her…and it was all too familiar to him. It was a feeling akin to his own, one that he constantly carried in his soul that was always a part of him.

The problem was what to do about it.

Diana was spending more time alone in her quarters, engaging less with teammates during League meetings or out in the field on missions. Their usual playful banter had all but disappeared, his flirtatious comments met with little to no rebuttal. She had also started cancelling their sparring matches that had become the bright spot of the week for him though he was loathe to admit it to himself let alone anyone else.

He had tried to make himself believe that his growing worry for her over the last few weeks had been rooted in nothing more than just friendship, but deep down he knew better. His heart refused to allow him to believe the lie any longer, one that he'd been telling himself for over two years now.

He was falling in love with her – hard and fast and absolute with no hope of escape.

Damn it.

"You're not done yet?" Superman questioned him as he came to stand behind the Dark Knight and the Amazon. "I finished the repairs to the other Javelins in no time."

"Some of us don't have heat vision like you do," Batman brusquely snapped, setting down his blowtorch.

"I told you I could take care of this one too, but you insisted on doing it yourself," Clark reminded him with a knowing smile, his muscular arms crossed against the large "S" emblazoned on his chest.

He knew the reason why Batman had wanted to take care of this repair himself. It required the help of a certain Amazon Princess, forcing her out of her quarters and hopefully out of the melancholy that was so unlike her. He also knew that his brooding friend had developed a certain affection for the beautiful warrior whether he was willing to admit it to himself or not.

He could hardly blame him.

"You can let go now, Princess," Batman rasped deeply, ignoring his friend's smart remark. "Thanks for your help."

"No problem," she simply stated, brushing her hands off.

Batman turned to look at the Man of Steel, both of them troubled about their friend's chronic disheartened state. He had spoken to Clark about it the other day, neither knowing the cause of it, but Bruce had his own thoughts on the matter that he hadn't revealed yet.

"So what do you say the three of us go get a bite to eat?" Superman cheerfully suggested. "I know this great little burger place in Metropolis that I just know you both will love."

"Actually, I could go for something to eat," Batman uncharacteristically agreed as he began to pick up his tools. "I don't have to be back in Gotham for another couple of hours."

Both looked expectantly at the princess, secretly hoping that she would agree to go out with them, giving them a chance to discover what had been upsetting her. She had a distant sad look in her eyes that hinted at the despair within as she pulled a lock of raven hair behind her ear, uncertainty veiling her face as she considered the offer.

"I don't know," Diana reluctantly replied, softly shaking her head with a frown. "I have some things that I probably should do this afternoon."

"Come on, Princess; just for an hour or so," Batman prodded, somewhat stunned by the sudden role reversal. The irony of it was definitely not lost on him. "You haven't been eating much lately. I think you could use a good meal."

Taken aback by his observation, Diana looked at the Dark Knight with a tilt of her head as she considered him, a slight tug at the corner of her ruby red lips. "And how would you know how much I've been eating? Keep tabs on me, Batman?"

"Someone has to," Batman muttered crossly, his black cape draping ominously around him as his arms came to rest at his sides. "You obviously refuse to look after yourself. You're not sleeping and if lose any more weight, you won't be able to wear your uniform."

"Bruce," Clark sternly murmured his name in warning, trying to contain his friend's agitation before it slipped through his fingers and created a worse problem then they already had on their hands. "We're just worried about you, Di."

"I'm fine," she angrily replied, her hands finding her hips in defiance. "I'm just not very hungry, but thanks for the offer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to do."

Batman growled low in his throat as he watched Diana abruptly turn on her heel and leave the Javelin Bay without another word. He turned, his fist finding the Javelin he'd just repaired, his frustration swelling in his chest.

Clark pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing a discouraged sigh. "Well, that didn't go as well as I had hoped," Superman confessed, turning his attention back to his longtime friend. "Any other ideas?"

Batman turned around, leaning his back against the hull of the Javelin as he ground his teeth. His mind had already been working to formulate a plan over the last week, one that would get his Amazon Princess back. He just had to make sure that he didn't end up surrendering his heart to her in the process.

"I have a plan."

XXX

Diana stood before the large window in her quarters staring blankly out into the bleak vast expanse of space that surrounded them, billions of stars nothing more than twinkling dots of life and brightness staring silently back at her.

She absentmindedly rubbed her bare arms as her thoughts wandered at will, but mostly to one place. It was the one location she was not allowed to go, the very home that had abandoned her, turned its backs on her.

She knew that she was being foolish, acting childish for allowing herself to wallow in her loneliness. She was a trained warrior…an Amazon Princess. No…she wasn't. Not any longer. She had lost her home, her title, her mother…her family. She had nothing.

She was neither a part of Themyscira nor a part of Man's World, an immortal walking among mortals, looking like them and yet so very far from it. She was an orphan, no longer belonging to a family. She had no one to call hers, cut off from the very women that had once been her sisters, the one that she had called mother.

She felt like one of those stars hanging out there in the icy expanse of space, surrounded by others and yet so very far away from everyone. She lived on a space station filled with teammates and civilian staff, people everywhere she went, but she felt so utterly alone.

She hadn't felt this lonely since her mother had first exiled her from her home. At the time, it had been far too devastating to even think about, too overwhelming to process. When they had returned from Themyscira, she had thrown herself into her mission of peace to Man's World, attending charity functions at an exhausting rate and going on countless missions with little to no breaks in order to keep her mind from dwelling on the words uttered by her mother that even now continued to haunt her thoughts, her dreams.

She had never truly dealt with the pain, allowed herself to grieve over a decision that she would make all over again without a second thought. She knew that she had done what was right in order to save her home and her sisters and because of that choice, she'd had to pay the ultimate price.

Looking down, her eyes fell on an Amazonian dagger resting on her desk, her gaze caressing the sleek blade as well as the ornate handle. Her heart grew heavy as her mind recounted the numerous training sessions spent with that very dagger, the time that she'd accidently taken a chunk of Artemis's red hair off with it.

A sad smile touched Diana's lips as her finger lightly traced the blade's deadly edge, remembering how absolutely furious Artemis had been with her, cursing and yelling as she bent over to pick up the clump of hair that she'd lost and shaking it at her.

Diana found that she missed Artemis the most next to her mother of course, longed to see the fiery redhead who had been her constant training partner and one of her closest friends. She was no doubt ashamed of what Diana had done by bringing men to the island and breaking their most sacred law, but at least her friend was still alive to be furious with her instead of trapped inside of a stone statue.

A sudden knock at her door forced her from her painful thoughts. She wrestled with whether she should answer the door or not, not really wanting to talk to anyone and yet she knew that Kal and Bruce had been worried about her lately.

With a reluctant sigh, she finally went to the door, opening it to find no one there. With a frown, she moved to push the button to close the door, a white box with a large pink ribbon sitting on the floor suddenly catching her eye and stopping her. Curious, she bent down to retrieve the large box, casting another glance down the corridor to find it empty.

Sitting down on her bed, Diana pulled the silky pink ribbon free, opening the box to find a beautiful dress inside. She carefully lifted the delicate gown from the box, holding it up and admiring the soft feel, the diaphanous white material that held a Greek influence in its design.

She felt tears burn in her eyes as she remembered the elegant chiton that had been a tradition for her to wear on Themyscira as the Princess of the Amazons for special feasts and occasions. It was made of the purest white, edged with gold and perfectly molded to her every curve. It had always made her feel so very beautiful, so proud of who and what she was.

Looking back into the box, she found a white envelope with her name written on the front of it. Setting the dress aside, she opened the envelope to find an invitation for her to come to Wayne Manor tonight for dinner.

Bruce Wayne.

Her lips curled at the corners with the thought of him, her heart suddenly beating a little harder…a little faster as a sense of excitement flooded her, replacing a small measure of the sorrow that had just been there.

She couldn't help wondering what in Hera's name Bruce was up to, hoping that this wasn't just some invitation extended out of pity. Looking down at the dress, she couldn't help but hope that maybe…just maybe…tonight would be the beginning of something more between them.

XXX

Alfred descended the stairs that would take him deep into the underground cavern that had become his surrogate son's second home. While extremely proud of Batman and the mission that he'd committed himself to, he couldn't help but curse the day that Bruce had literally stumbled upon the underground network of caves that ran beneath the manor.

It was mostly the days when Batman came home broken and bloody, barely walking under his own strength or the times when he had refused to allow himself the love and happiness that he deserved more than anyone in this world.

Today, however, was not one of those days. In fact, he was nearly rejoicing over the fact the man that was like a son to him was the Batman because if he had not taken that dark path, he might never have met the radiant Princess of the Amazons.

She had been the first to have truly captured not only his attention, but his heart as well. There had been one here and there who had managed to turn his head and awake some interest, but not anywhere close to the extent that Diana had.

He knew it was only a matter of time before the persistent Amazon would break down Bruce's defenses. Granted it had taken over two years, but Bruce Wayne was also the most obstinate man on the face of the earth. It would take a near goddess with the patience of her gods to not give up on him.

"Is everything ready, Alfred?"

The British butler sighed as he came to a stop behind the man who had just been occupying his thoughts. He was still dressed in his uniform, his cowl and gauntlets lying on his workstation to his left as he typed on his computer.

"Everything is ready except for you, Master Bruce." Alfred's admonishing tone cut through the case he'd been focused on. He always had a way of doing that.

"I just need to check one more thing and then…"

"Miss Diana will be here in less than thirty minutes," Alfred pointed out. "If you don't want this night to turn into a complete disaster then I suggest you go get ready at once."

"Don't get your hopes up, old man," Bruce muttered with a huff. "I'm only trying to cheer up a friend."

"Right," Alfred drawled with a knowing smile, "because you always go to this much work for all of your friends. We both know Miss Diana means far more to you than that."

"Wipe that smile off your face," Bruce snapped without even turning around. "Absolutely nothing is going to happen tonight so don't get your hopes up."

"If you say so, Sir," Alfred replied with a smirk.

"I'm serious, Alfred," he insisted, sitting back in his seat and running his fingers back through his short black hair. "It can't…no matter what I feel for her. It just can't."

"Ah, yes…the mission would suffer and life would just be positively destroyed if Miss Diana were ever allowed to be in your life," Alfred agreed. "She could never understand the life of a superhero – the long nights, the endless missions, the sacrifice or the constant dangers involved.

"She'd never be able to handle the Joker or Scarecrow or Bane if they ever tried to attack her. The poor thing would just end up being some frail little damsel in distress, a helpless victim terrorized by those monsters that you chase every night.

"She'd never understand what you've been through with the loss of your parents, feeling like your whole world has been taken away from you. She could never truly comprehend that kind of pain that rips at your guts and cuts into the heart so deeply that it hurts to even breathe sometimes, what it feels like to be all alone…an orphan.

"No, I guess you're right, Master Bruce. It's best you just remain friends with the princess. She'd never fit into your world."

The silence that followed Alfred's stern lecture that had dripped with sarcasm was near deafening as Bruce's shoulders sagged in defeat. He leaned forward holding his head in his hands for several long moments before finally speaking in a rasping voice choked with emotion.

"I love her so much it hurts sometimes," Bruce softly confessed. "I'm terrified I'm only going to end up hurting her if I let her in."

An unexpected hand on Bruce's shoulder caused the younger man to momentarily flinch before relaxing under the fatherly touch. "I believe she's already hurting quite deeply as it is right now. Maybe two hearts that are hurting can come together and find some happiness in the lives that have been dealt to them."

Alfred gently squeezed Bruce's shoulder in silent support and reassurance before turning and leaving him to think about what he'd just said to him, hoping that he'd gotten through to him this time. Just in case things did go well, he decided to plan a little something extra special for breakfast as well.

XXX

Diana smoothed her hands over her white dress, a nervous flutter in her stomach as if a thousand butterflies had suddenly been set loose inside of her. She drew a deep breath to calm her nerves as she approached the front door of Wayne Manor, uncertain as to why she was so nervous. She quickly ran her fingers through her curly partial up do before finally ringing the door bell.

To say that she'd been stunned by Bruce's invitation for tonight would have been an understatement of great proportions. She knew it was likely just a result of pity for how reticent she'd been lately, but there was still a part of her that couldn't help but secretly want more. She wanted him…all of him.

The front door opened to reveal Alfred, an affectionate smile lighting his face. "Miss Diana," he greeted her. "It has been far too long since you last graced this home. Please won't you come in, my dear?"

"Thank you, Alfred," she replied with a smile as she entered, taking the man's offered arm. "I have to say that I'm rather surprised to be here."

"You look positively stunning tonight," he complimented her. "That dress is most becoming on you."

Diana cast a sly grin at him along with a glance. "And I'm sure you had nothing to do with it whatsoever."

"None in the least," he innocently claimed.

"Thank you, Alfred," she softly said, pausing to kiss his cheek.

"To tell you the truth, this was all Master Bruce's doing," Alfred revealed. "I only prepared the meal."

A soft rosy blush suffused her face as her smile only grew wider with the thought. "Where is the master of the manor?"

"He's right behind you, Princess."

The sound of his perfect baritone voice sent an instant shiver up her spine as she slowly turned to find the handsome billionaire standing behind her in a black suit, gray shirt and tie. His black hair was perfect, his piercing blue eyes filled with such intensity as he stared at her it nearly made her tremble.

There was a storm gathering there in those cerulean depths, one that threatened to sweep her away as his gaze roamed over her in obvious appreciation of what he saw. He pulled his hands from his pants pockets, offering his arm to her.

"I'll take it from here, Alfred," Bruce said.

"Very good, Master Bruce," Alfred replied, bubbling with barely contained excitement. "I will finish with preparations for dinner."

Bruce barely registered his response, his attention solely on the breathtaking woman on his arm. The one shoulder Grecian gown only seemed to enhance her perfection, the flattering asymmetrical neckline revealing the long slender column of her neck that he wanted to taste. The waist was decorated with exquisite beaded accents, the diaphanous fabric cascading loosely to the floor.

"You look very beautiful tonight."

"Thank you for the lovely dress," she somehow managed to say, completely mesmerized by the dashing man leading her out the back and towards the gardens. "It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen."

"It reminded me of you and I was right," he confessed. "It's almost as if it was made just for you."

"It reminds me of…" her voice suddenly broke off, causing her to clear her throat. She drew a breath before continuing again. "It reminds me of my formal chiton…the one that I used to wear for special feasts held on Themyscira."

"I bet you looked breathtaking in it," he ventured as they slowly strolled through the expansive garden, the sun just beginning to set in the background. "I imagine you look gorgeous in anything you wear."

Diana felt that pesky warm flush threatening her cheeks again. She dipped her head, averting her eyes as a smile played on her lips. "You look very handsome in your suit, Mister Wayne."

"Thank you," he said, pleased with her words.

Compliments he received on how he looked or dressed, the good that he did for others had never mattered much to him…not until her. Now, he found that he lived for them, feasted on them…greedily coveted them.

Diana wrapped her fingers around his upper arm, leaning into him as they made their way through the garden that Martha Wayne had created so long ago. She couldn't help wondering just what exactly he was up to or what he had planned for tonight.

This was her Bruce here with her now, the real one that she rarely got to see. There was an easy, open air to him and yet she could tell that he was holding something back, something that he wasn't quite ready to reveal or was grappling with whether he should.

"Bruce, what is this all about?" she finally asked, almost afraid of the answer she was about to receive.

"You'll just have to wait and see, Princess," he coyly responded, flashing her his famous playboy smile as he gently took her hand from his arm to lace his fingers with hers.

Diana studied him a moment, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. She decided to let him have his fun for now. "Alright, Mr. Wayne," she agreed, brushing her thumb back and forth against the back of his hand and savoring this private time alone with him. "So do I get a hint?"

"You'll see soon enough," he cryptically told her, coming to a stop and turning towards her. "Close your eyes."

"Bruce…" she chided with a quirk of her lips.

"Trust me, Princess," he said. "Close your eyes."

"Fine," she relented with a sigh. "Now what?"

Bruce stood there just staring at her, memorizing every exquisite detail of her face, the ethereal flow of her dress, the way her raven hair was curled and pulled up on the sides. She looked like the finest Greek statue; flawless and so beautiful to gaze at that it was almost painful. It made his heart stutter in response. She could make even Aphrodite seem unattractive.

"Let me lead you," he softly instructed her.

The unexpected brush of his lips against her ear caused her to visibly tremble, the pulse of his warm breath making her skin tingle. "Alright," she whispered, allowing him to lead her.

He couldn't contain his own excitement as he carefully led her up three steps and into the large gazebo. "Open your eyes," he told her.

He held her hand as he watched for her reaction, taking great joy in the shock that veiled her face as she took in her surroundings, a soft gasp escaping her lips. The gazebo had literally been transformed into one of the temples on Themyscira.

White columns stood proud at intervals around the gazebo, ivy climbing around each pillar and fragrant flowers filled each vase. White sashes of gauzy material connected each post of the gazebo. Candles of every shape and size lined the perimeter, their orange flames dancing excitedly with secrets of the night that they refused to tell. Greek sculptures sat on top of some of the pillars, making her wonder where he had gotten them from.

"Bruce," she whispered his name, unable to make her voice work as tears glistened in her eyes.

She released his hand as she slowly made her way around the gazebo, taking in every single detail, the heavenly scent of the flowers that reminded her of a place that was no longer hers. It overwhelmed her with both gratitude and longing for something that she could never have again.

She paused before a Greek vase, the depictions on it reminiscent of Themyscira. She lightly ran her fingertips over the delicate looking piece as tears began to silently roll down her cheeks. The painful void that had filled her chest suddenly felt deeper and yet at the same time not as painful as before.

A hand suddenly came to rest on her shoulder, warmth radiating from a presence standing right behind her. The now familiar brush of lips against her ear caused her to shiver once again as he slowly, softly tasted her.

"I know how badly you miss your home, Princess, so I brought home to you."

Diana finally turned to face him, sorrow mingled with love swimming in her eyes as she stared at him. "How…how did you know?"

He raised his hands, his thumbs carefully wiping away her tears. "I recognized that look in your eyes."

She fought back the swell of tears that nearly choked her, refusing to let them fall as he pulled her into his arms. "I miss it so much," she softly confessed, the all too brief brush of her lips against his neck as she spoke sending a jolt of arousal through him.

He tightened his hold on her, just silently providing her his strength and understanding. It enraged him that a mother could do this to her child, banishing her from her home after risking her life to save her people. It was something that he would never understand, but yet he understood Diana's pain, the sense of loss and loneliness, the pain that felt at times as though it would never end.

He knew that she'd never truly dealt with what had happened to her, choosing instead to throw herself into her duties and the charities that all vied for her attention. Hadn't he done the very same thing after his parents had died? Learning everything he could possibly learn, becoming consumed with his mission in order to deal with the hurt?

They were so much alike in so many ways that it never ceased to amaze him. When he had started falling in love with her, he had never expected to discover a soul mate or to find sweet solace from his own grief and pain.

"I know it'll be a year tomorrow since it happened, but it still hurts," she revealed.

"I know, Princess," he quietly sympathized with her.

She pulled back, kissing him chastely on the cheek. "Thank you for all of this. You really didn't have to go to all of this trouble just for me."

"It was no trouble and besides I wanted to," he reassured her, his finger lightly tracing the curve of her face. "I wanted to see you smile again."

"I'm sorry if I worried you," she murmured, completely losing herself in his intense gaze.

"I'll always worry about you," he admitted, his breaths beginning to come a little faster as he slowly tipped his head closer to her, drawn to her warmth as if she were the sun itself.

Just before his lips could touch hers, Alfred arrived. "Dinner is served," he announced.

Bruce quickly pulled back, silently berating himself for getting carried away by the intense desire she had awaken within him. He needed to remain in complete control of his emotions if he was going to end this night as nothing more than just friends.

However, the notion of being nothing more than just her friend was rapidly becoming excruciating – both emotionally as well as physically.

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce muttered, both relieved and at the same time extremely annoyed by the interruption.

Bruce escorted Diana to her seat at the small table set in the middle of the gazebo, her chair positioned exceptionally close to his no doubt by Alfred. Damn the old man. He scooted her chair in, his eyes momentarily falling closed as he breathed deeply. It didn't help matters that her intoxicating scent was already driving him wild and she'd only just arrived. It was going to be a very long night.

"Thank you," Diana murmured as he settled into his seat beside her.

Alfred placed their plates before them, removing the silver dome covers and revealing a Greek feast fit for an Amazon Princess. "I hope this will meet with your approval, Miss Diana."

"Alfred, this looks amazing," Diana gasped in surprise at what she found.

"I'm sure that it's not nearly as good as what you were accustomed to on Themyscira, but I hope this will do."

"It's perfect," she softly replied, touched by what Bruce and Alfred had done for her.

"I want you to eat every single bit of it too," Bruce told her with a frown on his lips. "In fact, start making up a second plate for her, Alfred."

"Bruce!" Diana exclaimed in objection. "I can't eat all of that!"

"You've barely in eaten in weeks," Bruce shot back. "You're not allowed to leave the table until you've cleaned your plate. Right, Alfred?"

The British butler threw his hands up in self-defense. "I'm leaving that battle up to you, Master Bruce," he said as he quickly left.

Diana turned her menacing glare on the handsome man beside her as she propped her elbow on the table, her hand supporting her chin. "So how do you plan on forcing me to do that, Dark Knight?"

Bruce leaned in closer, allowing his proximity to have its desired effect on her. He stared deep into her eyes for a long moment, his gaze dropping to her red lips that he was aching to kiss. "I have my ways for getting what I want."

Diana's breath caught with his flirtatious remark, the huskiness of his voice. Hera, she hadn't realized just how much she'd truly missed him these last few weeks until this very moment. The desire for him that she'd tried to contain was now running wild through her veins, heating her blood and stealing her breath.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?" she defiantly countered. "I think you already know how stubborn I can be."

"I could force feed you," he threatened, lifting his fork to her lips as he offered her a bite of the roasted lamb.

She was unable to tear her eyes away from him as she parted her lips, allowing him to feed her. He watched as those same red lips wrapped around the tines of his fork, taking the piece of meat into her mouth before releasing his utensil.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to look away from her for fear of completely losing control right there. He needed to change the subject…now. "So tell me about growing up on Themyscira," he ventured, taking her off guard.

Sadness momentarily flitted through her eyes, but she quickly recovered. "For every story I tell, you have to share one from your childhood."

He appraised her for a moment before taking a bit from his own plate, not really wanting to talk about his own childhood, but he'd brought it up hoping it would help her to talk about home. "Deal…but you go first."

"Alright," she agreed as she picked at her potatoes. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmmm…" he thought for a moment before mischief suddenly filled his eyes. "What kind of trouble did the prim and proper Princess of the Amazons get herself into growing up?"

"My, Mister Wayne," she responded in a sultry tone. "That's a very dangerous question to ask. I'm not sure you could handle it if I told you the truth."

Bruce visibly gulped as his male mind took him places that his pants wished that he wouldn't go as they became tighter by the moment. "I'm sure I can handle it and I'm positive I can probably top it with one of my own. Not all of those rumors about me are false."

A single arched eyebrow told him she thought otherwise. "Let me see," she thoughtfully began. "There was the time that I showed up at morning prayers covered in mud from head to toe or the time that I put snakes in Phillipus's bed because she made me mad."

Bruce nearly choked on his salad, stunned by the perfect princess's admission. "Wait…what did Phillipus do that made you mad?"

"She was my strictest instructor and the most annoying," she admitted. "She would make me do the same training exercise over and over again until she thought it was absolutely perfect before moving onto the next. I got sick of it so I put some live snakes in her bed. Nearly scared her half to death."

Bruce couldn't contain his laughter as he pictured the great General of the Amazons finding the deadly surprise in her bed. "I didn't think anything could scare Phillipus."

"Nothing usually does, but it did that night," Diana replied with a giggle of remembrance. "She climbed into bed only to have those snakes slithering all over her legs and up her body. I could hear her screams from my own bedroom."

"Did you get in trouble?"

She gave him a look that spoke volumes. "A very stern lecture from my mother about the proper conduct of an Amazon Princess, confined to my room for a week, and I had to clean all of Phillipus's weapons."

"Wow," Bruce said with a sympathetic shake of his head. "That's pretty harsh punishment."

"It was more than worth it," she maintained with a shrug. "Ok, it's your turn. What trouble did little Bruce Wayne get himself into as a child?"

He drew a deep breath as he allowed himself to think back on the life that he had before that monster had stolen his childhood from him. He more than owed it to Diana to make the effort. "When I was four, I had a toy detective kit…"

"What a surprise," Diana interjected with a lilting laugh that charmed him clear to his toes.

"Anyway," he continued with a smile, "I handcuffed myself to Alfred and I couldn't get them off because I had lost the key to it."

Diana's infectious laughter returned with a vengeance as she sat back in her chair, her hand covering her mouth, her other arm holding her sides. "I would have loved to have seen that."

"Alfred was so angry with me," Bruce told her. "He was trying to get ready for a dinner party that my parents were having that evening, but he had to do it with me attached to his left wrist until my father got home and picked the lock."

"Why am I not surprised by that story?" she laughed, tears collecting in her eyes.

Bruce couldn't contain the smile that lit his face even if he had wanted to. His Diana was herself again at that moment, radiating such warmth and happiness that it was beyond contagious. Being with her brought him more contentment and joy than he'd ever known since losing his parents.

"Your turn, Princess," Bruce countered. "Tell me something else."

Diana wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes as she thought about her childhood. "I used to sneak out at night to swim nude in the ocean."

Bruce felt himself flush warmly with her confession, more than interested in what she had to tell about it. "How unbecoming of a princess," he teased.

"That's what my mother sternly reminded me along with all of the dangers of swimming alone in the nude at night," Diana confessed. "Unfortunately, I refused to listen to her and one night I swam into a bunch of squid."

"Oh, Diana," Bruce said with a groan at the thought.

"It was not my finest moment," she agreed. "I was covered in large red welts from head to toe from the tentacles. I was lucky I made it out of there alive."

"Did you stop skinny dipping after that?"

"Oh Hera, no!" she revealed with a devious grin and a glint of obstinacy in her eyes. "In fact, we had squid for dinner the next day. It was very good."

Bruce's deep baritone laughter echoed into the night, his sides aching. "You never cease to amaze me, Princess. Only you would go right back into the water the next day."

They continued to talk for hours, regaling each other with stories from their childhood that had them both laughing until they were in tears. Neither had noticed how far the candles had burned down during their evening together or how high the moon was in the sky.

"Tell me another story, Bruce," she pleaded, sitting forward in anxious anticipation.

"Dance with me first," he suddenly suggested, standing to his feet and offering her his hand. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, but dance with me."

Diana took his offered hand, standing to her feet and following him to the other side of the large gazebo. He took her into his arms, the soft strains of music filling the air around them, her hand coming to rest against his chest as the other settled on his back.

Bruce tilted his head, softly pressing his lips to her forehead. "What kind of story do you want next?"

"The first woman who managed to capture the playboy Bruce Wayne's heart," she ventured, afraid of his answer and yet needing to know.

He didn't have to think long or hard, dredging through past hurts or painful memories of past loves. There had been glances, women that he had thought that he had loved, but they had all turned out to be nothing more than fleeting crushes to what he felt now, what he knew in his heart.

The first woman who had truly and fully stolen his heart was right here with him now in his arms, her body pressed against his. He pulled her even closer to him, wrapping his arms more fully around her as they slowly moved in time to the music. He never ever wanted to let her go or this moment to end.

"Bruce?" she softly murmured, wondering where he had gone to.

"She showed up out of the blue one day…fell right out of the sky," he began. "I never saw her coming nor had I been looking for her. At least, I hadn't realized that I had been looking for her all these years…not until recently."

"Whoever she is, she's the luckiest woman in the world," she softly said, wanting it to be her that he was talking about. "She must be pretty amazing to have caught your attention."

"You have no idea just how amazing she truly is," he replied with a slight smirk.

The adoration that laced his voice as he spoke made Diana afraid to ask anymore, worried that he'd suddenly just push her away again. She stopped all of the sudden, pulling herself from his embrace. "I should probably leave now," she softly said.

"Why?" he demanded to know, sudden panic at the thought of her leaving rising up within him.

"You need to go out on patrol soon," she reminded him, saddened by the idea of leaving.

"No, not tonight," he revealed, his eyes the bluest and most open that she'd ever seen them. "Tonight I'm all yours…if you want me."

Her hand came to rest against his cheek as she lost herself in his eyes, her thumb lightly tracing his lips. "I think there has always been a part of me searching for you…wanting you long before the notion of you even existed. Yes, I answered J'onn's telepathic call for help, but my heart was already looking for you even back then."

Bruce swiftly pulled her in for a kiss, needing to quell the desire for her that was eating him alive, but it quickly turned into something heated and passionate, desperate and demanding as she parted her lips for him. He captured her moan as he explored her mouth, stifling his own as his hands began to roam over her.

A hunger of a different kind now took over, one that had been building to unbearable levels for far too long now…one that could no longer be ignored. They stood there kissing for several minutes, losing themselves in each other as well as the intimate moment that had been secretly pleading to be expressed.

Retreating, Bruce rested his forehead against hers as his hands cradled her head. "Stay with me, Princess," he softly pleaded with her. "Let me be your home from now on."

"I would love nothing more," she replied, a beautiful smile dancing on her lips.

A smile spread across Bruce's face as well, beyond thrilled with her response. He loved this woman more than his own life and now she was finally his. Taking her by the hand, he began to lead her towards the manor and his waiting bedroom, anxious to show her what he felt in his heart for her.

Glancing at her now, seeing her smiling at him somehow made everything in his life right again and he planned on keeping it there for as long as there was breath in his body.

**THE END**


End file.
